Board and Staff
Executive Director
Howard Brown is a brand strategist, award-winning creative executive, and social entrepreneur with leadership experience across global media, fashion, and nonprofit organizations. He has held senior leadership roles at several internationally recognized brands. He is Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of one of the largest nonprofit youth sports organizations in New England, dedicated to youth development and community engagement. He is committed to strengthening the arts across the Sunapee Region.
General Organization
Treasurer
Paula K. Wyeth is a certified public accountant based in New London, New Hampshire. She has operated her own practice since 1982, providing a wide range of financial services to individuals and small businesses. Her offerings include tax preparation, bookkeeping, auditing, and financial consulting. Known for her personalized, one-on-one approach, Paula is a trusted and longstanding member of the New London business community.
Board Chair
Barry Fougere is an artist and board member of corporate and non-profit organizations. In his business career, he has held senior leadership roles in multiple technology companies and consulting firms. He currently serves as a board director for a mid-sized industrial company and consults to the majority investor. A board member with the Little Lake Sunapee Protective Association, he also serves on the Government Affairs Committee of the Lake Sunapee Protective Association and as the Forest Steward of the Little Sunapee Associates Forest
Secretary
Liz Kelly is an experienced litigator who has just recently moved into an assistant general counsel role with a university, where she works on a broad range of legal topics. She is also excited to join the Events Committee and has creative ideas for the future of the performing arts at the CFA. Liz is a New London resident and a great tennis player.
Development Board Member
Sandra Swain-Bromwell brings over two decades of experience in fundraising, volunteer management, and alumni engagement within private higher education. A dedicated professional in the field, she has played a key role in strengthening alumni relations and advancing philanthropic initiatives. Sandra is also a proud alumna of Dartmouth College and was honored in 2023 for her 20 years of service and commitment to the institution.
Development Board Member
Jody Cooper is excited to join the Center for the Arts board after serving eight years as Director of Development at the New London Barn Playhouse. She has a passion for the performing arts and has appeared in many community productions, played in the Kearsarge Community Band
and sings with the Kearsarge Chorale. She received her B.S. degree from Colby-Sawyer College and M.Ed. in Counseling from Plymouth State University and worked for over 20 years in Corporate America in account and proposal management. Jody has served on various Boards and Committees in the area and been active in many volunteer and fundraising activities. She was raised in Bedford, NY, summered on the shores of Little Lake
Sunapee and has lived year-round in New London since 1976.
Development Board Member
Jean Cronin Connolly is originally from the Boston area, Jean taught art for more than twenty years, served as director of several cultural organizations, and was the publisher of the respected arts magazine Arts Around Boston before moving to New Hampshire. Both a fine art
photographer and painter, she is Chair Emeritus of the Center for the Arts in the Lake Sunapee Region, having served in that role for the organization’s first fifteen years in its current form.
After studying art and education at several institutions, Jean continued her artistic training with distinguished artists including George Dergalis, Dudley Fletcher, Kat O’Connor, Robert Douglas Hunter, Cyrus Whittier, and Aline Ordman, exploring a wide
range of styles, techniques, and media.
Now living in New London, Jean’s archival digital prints and oil paintings have been juried into numerous exhibitions throughout the country, earned multiple awards, and are included in private collections nationwide.
Visual Arts
Visual Arts Committee
Jay Fitzpatrick is a photographer who is a captivating blend of vision, science, and collaboration with nature.
Jay's philosophy of "making pictures" rather than simply "taking pictures" is evident in his unique approach to capturing the world around him. His landscapes transcend mere subjects, offering viewers a glimpse into realms beyond the senses, while his vibrant colors and impeccable compositions elevate each image to a work of art.
Visual Arts Committee
Doug Carey Following a long finance career in the NYC area with a primary home in Fairfield, CT, Doug ventured off to retirement in 2022. He is an avid outdoorsman of many sorts, and spends extensive time hiking with his two black labs throughout the woods and mountains of N.H. those experiences create many of his painting inspirations. Doug also enjoys traveling which also influences much of his portfolio.
Performing Arts
Performing Arts Committee
Dr. Wally Borgen is a Professor Emerita from Concordia College-NY and presently an Adjunct Professor in Public Speaking at Colby-Sawyer College. She has been singing, dancing, and performing in musical theater since the age of 8, both in professional and community theaters. In 2007, Wally organized a group of friends to perform a Vaudeville Show as a FUNdraiser for The Fells. The troupe continues to offer themselves to not-for-profit organizations, raising over $35,000 so far. During the past three years, she has written and directed two musicals, “The Best of Burt (Bacharach that is)” and “The Songs and Tales of WW1,” for the Sunapee Kearsarge Intercommunity Theater (SKIT).
Performing Arts Committee
Caren Ponty is a lifelong lover of the arts with a professional background in Nonprofit Management, Community Development, Museum Studies and Affordable Housing. She has been on the Board of Directors of three community orchestras in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, where most recently she collaborated with the traveling exhibit of the Violins of Hope to organize three performances utilizing the violins in Pittsburgh. She led the Carlisle (MA) Cultural Council as its Chair, served on grant panels on the local and federal levels for cultural funding and is currently a docent and fellow at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She is very excited to be part of the CFA and extend her knowledge to further the goals of the organization and enhance cultural opportunities in the Lake Sunapee region, particularly as it relates to music.
Literary Arts
Board Member
Literary Arts Committee
Kathleen Schulman is an educator and storyteller with a deep appreciation for nature and connection. One of her favorite activities is hiking Clark’s Lookout near her New London home, where she enjoys the sky, trees, water, and mountains year-round. Her early years were shaped by unique experiences, from working with her father in remote NH villages before dial telephones to running a switchboard in a chief operator’s apartment. Later, she balanced night shifts as a long-distance operator with college classes. Whenever she sees a can of Mountain Dew, she is transported back to 35 Concord Street at 2:00 am, gazing into the soda machine that offered the only option for the night crew.
Though she initially considered careers in engineering or biology, Kathleen discovered her true calling in teaching. Over four decades, she has inspired and been inspired by students of all ages and backgrounds. Passionate about collecting and sharing stories, Kathleen draws inspiration from her painter husband and treasures time with her children and grandchildren. Her students’ resilience and stories continually challenge her to reflect on what matters most.
Literary Arts Committee
The Center for the Arts is currently recruiting for this role, please reach out to info@cfanh.org if you are interested. For more information on board roles and requirements, click here.
Youth Arts and Education
Board Member
Leigh Tappen is a lifelong learner, world traveler, and outdoorsperson. Leigh has spent many years preparing teaching and learning environments for all ages. She designs activities for fun, authentic, hands-on learning, with a focus on individualized instruction and positive interaction. She is passionate about nurturing the creative energy in all members of the community for healthier and happier living.
Art Education Committee Co-Chair
Art Education Committee Co-Chair
Christie Scott is a Newport-based artist and educator who has a lifelong passion for art and creativity. She shares her love of drawing, painting, sewing, and building through community programs at schools, libraries, and art centers. Christie has designed and led numerous art projects, including public installations like “Fish Sticks” and “Birds of a Feather,” showcasing her dedication to engaging the community in the arts. She and her husband are restoring their 170+-year-old Greek Revival home in Newport, a reflection of her appreciation for history, craftsmanship, and creativity.
Art Education Committee
Alison Vernon started painting in the late 1980s. Over the years, her painting style and technique have evolved. She quickly learned to appreciate the texture and richness of painting with palette knives. Alison’s use of knives in combination with her vibrant colors and fresh subject matter has made Alison a favorite of private as well as corporate collectors.
Board Member
Art Education Committee
Christina Landolt has been an educator at Phillips Academy for the past twenty years. Author of Music: A Brief Introduction and Playing with Fire: Nurturing a Spirit of Play in Advanced Learners, Christina has performed with and conducted orchestras in China, Ireland, Scotland, Czechia, Hungary, Canada and the U.S. Before her teaching career, Christina composed music for television and film, worked in fundraising
at USC, and was a graphic designer. She currently owns a book publishing company in addition to her work in education, and serves on several multi-school collaboratives focusing on effective integration of AI at the PK-12 level.